Do you have young girls? Read this article and make an educated decision about Gardasil.
Don’t give this to your daughter – despite what your doctor says. ~ From Mercola.com
It’s been four years since Gardasil debuted as a blockbuster vaccine with sales that rocketed to over $1.1 billion in its first nine months.
Touted as a wonder vaccine that would end cervical cancer, it was supposed to be the savior of both mankind and Merck’s Vioxx-damaged bottom line. But now, according to CNN Money, it’s a dud.
It just posted $219 million in sales. But in the pharma world, that’s a paltry pittance, nothing short of an in-flight explosion that’s caused Merck stock to drop 3 percent, with analysts and investors scrambling to figure out what went wrong.
So what happened?
How did a vaccine that was supposed to be Merck’s beacon for higher profits in the 21st Century go from flagship to flop?
Quote of the Day ~ “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm!” – Winston Churchill
How to Have a Heart Healthy Halloween
- Remember to have a healthy meal BEFORE you go trick-or-treating. This reduces the temptation to “snack” while walking.
- Make this a fun family physical activity event. Set a goal of how many houses you will walk to and then stick to it!
- Think about a healthier version of treats to give out at your house: Mini boxes of raisins, 100% juice juice-boxes, snack sized pretzels, pre-packaged trail mixes, pre-packaged dried fruits, crayons, stickers, silly bands, tooth brushes, bubbles, plastic spiders, or coupons to local frozen yogurt stores. Avoid using toys that could be a choking hazard to little ones.
- Smart safety tips to keep in mind: bring a flash light while walking, only go to houses with the porch light on, inspect candy before allowing children to eat it, and be on your way home before the street lights come on.
- Remember to stay in groups when trick-or-treating. Don’t allow your child to walk up to a house alone and always keep a watchful eye on where they are headed next. Use sidewalks when available, and use crosswalks when crossing busier streets.
- Find the right sized collection bag for your child. Steer clear of the pillow case method.
- Want to avoid candy and masses of kids? Dress your family up in their costumes and go see a movie, go to the toy store and have your child pick out their favorite toy, see if local malls have trick-or-treat within the stores, local police and fire stations may offer this alternative as well.
- Avoid the urge to buy on-sale candy in the grocery stores after Halloween.
- Pick out enough candy for one piece a day for 5 days and put those in the fridge. When your child asks for a piece of candy make sure to pair it with a healthy snack: an apple, a banana, some healthy nuts, or celery.
- “Buy back” the candy from your child with money or tokens they can trade in for a fun activity: a day at the zoo, an afternoon playing at a local park, going ice skating, or a day at the pool.
- Some dentist offices have been known to buy back the candy from their patients so be on the lookout for that option!
Taken from How to Have a Heart Healthy Halloween.
Quote of the Day ~ “You always pass failure on your way to success.” -Mickey Rooney
Keeping your kids safe
ARE YOU WATCHING OUT FOR YOUR KIDS?
I hate to break it to you, but there are so many toxins in our environment nowadays that your kids are exposed to chemicals and endocrine disruptors on a daily basis. I know — scary, right? Luckily, they have YOU to help do something about it. Now, you can’t change everything, but as parents, you do have a great deal of power over what your kids put in their mouths and on their skin. You probably know you need to feed them the best quality food you can afford, but what about the quality of the clothes, toys, and diapers you buy for them? Here are four important steps that you can take to help clean up their environment.
Clothing and bedding: Make sure your kids’ pajamas, bedding, pillows, and mattresses do not contain polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a class of flame-retardant chemicals. They pose potential health risks to children — they’ve been linked to thyroid disruption, learning and memory problems, hearing damage, decreased sperm counts in later years, and birth defects. Choose organic bedding and clothing that’s free of these chemicals, and your body, your kids’ bodies, and the planet will be much happier.
Toys: The phthalates DEHP and DINP are added to plastics to make them flexible. But they pose a health risk to you and your children because they are endocrine disruptors. Many manufacturers and stores have pledged to remove phthalates from their toys, but if the recalls on toys from China tell us anything, it’s that we can’t be 100 percent sure about the products we buy. Instead, choose unpainted wood and organic fabric toys.
Bottles and diapers: Don’t put endocrine disruptors directly into babies’ mouths or on their bottoms. Instead, use glass bottles and unbleached diapers, such as Seventh Generation chlorine-free diapers or gDiapers.
Lice shampoo: You don’t want to pour toxic pesticides on children’s heads. Adopt a “no nits” policy and do regular screenings: Use a lice comb and get the nits out before they develop into lice. If your children do get lice, find a gentle anti-lice shampoo with natural ingredients, and prevent recurrences by sprinkling a few drops of tea tree essential oil on their heads every day.